Because I Knew You
by sunrise over boston
Summary: They may not always seem like it, but Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel are the best of friends. Sure, they may bicker over solos or fashion, but that doesn't mean they don't love each other at the end of the day. A belated collection of stories written for Hummelberry Week 2012.
1. which old witch?

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N**: Title stolen from _For Good _from _Wicked. _Belated fills for Hummelberry Week on tumblr. Today's theme: Broadway.

* * *

It's Rachel's eighteenth birthday and, despite numerous people telling her it would be tacky or another drunken train wreck, she's having a theme party.

The invitations had promised a night of Broadway masquerade. Guests were _highly_ encouraged to come dressed as characters from their favorite show for a night of music and dancing, with everyone removing their masks at eleven. (Her dads said everyone had to be out by a quarter to midnight, so Rachel had sullenly bumped the traditional time up.) And, while the invitations only promised sparkling cider, Puck had passed the hat during glee club in order for a booze run. He claimed it would be his gift to the birthday girl, winking.

Now, the party was only a few hours away and Rachel was sprawled out on her bed, an arm thrown over her eyes dramatically. Sure, her basement had been transformed into something out of a movie and her dads had gone to Columbus for the evening after finishing the party prep, but Rachel was worried. No matter how much she dressed it up with tastefully hung chiffon and pixie lights, one petty argument between her friends could easily turn her birthday party into an episode of Jerry Springer.

Just as Rachel was preparing to call the whole thing off, a garment bag was dropped unceremoniously her. She couldn't even gather the energy to glare at Kurt, who looked unfairly handsome even in a tee shirt and yoga pants. He smiled down at her and shook a second garment bag enticingly.

"You're going to _adore_ our costumes! I'll probably be finding sequins in my room until Easter, but it was worth it. We're going to be the most fantastic _Wicked _duo since Idina and Kristin themselves."

Rachel stares at his garment bag, trying to decide if it's big enough to hold a dress worthy of Glinda. When she had laid down a claim on Elphaba for the party, Kurt had immediately suggested that they have 'matching' costumes and even offered to make them. It wouldn't be the first time she saw him in a dress. As if he can sense her impending questions, Kurt unzips the bag to reveal a light green shirt and a pair of jade slacks.

"I'm going to be the Fiyero to your Elphie, à la _As Long As You're Mine_."

That was all the motivation Rachel needed to tear open her own garment bag, squealing when she saw the dress inside. Kurt had taken an old black dress of hers and added what seemed like millions of sequins, so it flashed and shimmered in the light. There was also a layer of webby lace, making the dress seem as sinister as it was pretty. Rachel began to unbutton her shirt, which made Kurt laugh as he turned around.

"Finn would be jealous if he knew how often I've seen your chest," Kurt said as Rachel slipped into the dress.

Rolling her eyes, she motioned for Kurt to zip her up. It wasn't like her boobs did anything for Kurt and, besides, she was a little annoyed at him right now. He'd decided it would be easiest to just go to the party as Brad, ignoring the fact that the _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ had never been on Broadway and that it meant his costume wouldn't go with hers at all. Pushing the thought down, Rachel spun around when Kurt ordered her to, the skirt of the dress lifting around her without showing anything higher than mid-thigh. It would be perfect for dancing.

Kurt fussed with the dress, tugging and smoothing it until it looked like it had been made specifically for Rachel. She was willing to put good money on the fact that he had done some kind of tailoring, because it used to hit her legs at an awkward length and the neckline had never been this _flattering_. When he was done, Kurt pulled her witch's hat off the shelf and onto Rachel's head, kissing her cheek and proclaiming, "Perfect! Now all we need is some shoes."

He started to root around in her closet then, clicking his tongue whenever he found something that displeased him. Sitting down at her vanity to start applying her makeup, Rachel asked, "Who is Blaine going as?"

Even when she was only watching his reflection in the mirror, there was no mistaking the way Kurt's back seemed to stiffen. He kept looking for an appropriate pair of shoes, but his voice was detached when he answered, "Tony from _West Side Story_. He's still in love with the role and Artie let him keep that awful mustard jacket."

Rachel wanted to go 'oh, Kurt' and wrap her arms around him. The musical's run had just finished and she felt bad for not realizing it would still be sore territory for him. But she's had three years to learn the ins and outs of Kurt Hummel now and, even if she sometimes falters, Rachel knows better than to press an issue that he's upset about.

Instead, she said, "Forget the shoes for now! I need you to greenify me."

A normal person would be terrified to have Kurt come at her brandishing a large jar of green face paint. Rachel, however, just laughs as he starts applying the cool cream to her face and cackles.

"For the first time," Kurt told her, spreading the make up gleefully, "I feel wicked."


	2. there's no fight we cannot win

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N**: Title stolen from _For Good _from _Wicked. _Belated fills for Hummelberry Week on tumblr. Today's theme: AU.

* * *

"Do you think Captain America would be offended if I offered to redesign his costume?" Kurt asked as he flipped through a copy of _Stars_ magazine, "I know he's obligated to do the stars and stripes thing, but it doesn't have to be so _obvious_."

Rachel frowned from where she was perched on the ledge of the roof, dropping the binoculars she wore around her neck in order to give Kurt a disapproving look. He was laying down on his stomach, reading a magazine and not helping with the night patrol like he was supposed to. When she pointed this out, the boy just rolled his eyes at her.

"Rachel-"

"Code names!" She scolded, earning another eye roll.

"_Siren_, we're in the middle of Ohio. The worse we get is the occasional purse snatcher and even if the cops didn't get there first half the time, we're all overqualified for the job."

Rachel turned away from him, picking her binoculars back up. Deep down, she agreed with Kurt on the over qualified front, but she liked to feel like she was helping the greater good. It wasn't stopping big bads in New York (not yet, at least) but Rachel would be the the kind of hero that Lima needed, even if that meant freezing on a roof in the middle of the night with her less than enthusiastic best friend.

The silence stretched between them for a long while, Rachel sweeping as many streets as she could and Kurt reading his magazine with only the smallest of sighs at the poor fashion choices of his fellow heroes. Half an hour passed and, ten minutes before their relief was supposed to come, the police radio at Rachel's side came to life. Immediately, Kurt was at her side and listening.

"221S at the jewelry store. What's that?" He asked, packing his magazine and the radio into his bag.

"Silent robbery alarm," Rachel said grimly, "We should hurry."

"Say no more," Kurt said, grabbing hold of her before closing his eyes and muttering something under his breath.

When Kurt transported her, Rachel always felt a little like throwing up afterwards. In fact, that's what she did when she opened her eyes and realized they were in a dumpster. Kurt, who had grown used to the smell of decaying trash thanks to McKinley's football team, held back her hair and then hauled himself out.

"You couldn't have landed us in the store?" Rachel asked, readjusting to her new location. If the food remnants on their clothes were anything to judge by, they were in the alley way behind _Breadstix_. The jewelry store was the next one over and, if she concentrated, she could pick up the sound of men yelling and someone crying. Turning to Kurt, she said, "We have to get in there. They have hostages."

They ran to the back entrance of the store, where Kurt melted the door down with a few words. While Rachel didn't want to advocate the destruction of private property, she had to admit that it was easier to just have Kurt turn things into nothing instead of breaking it down like some of the others on the team did. It was quieter, too, which allowed them to sneak all the way into the back office, where an elderly couple were tied up. The woman was thanking them between sobs as Rachel untied her, but the old man wouldn't let Kurt touch him.

"I don't need any damn masks coming in and making things worse," he said, "I called for the police and I'll wait until they get here."

Rachel and Kurt exchanged a look. She shrugged helplessly and turned to the old woman, asking where the robbers had gone. Except, the only answer they got was the old woman's continued sobs mixed in with pleas for her husband to stop being stubborn and accept help. Kurt pulled Rachel in and whispered, "I can put them both to sleep. It'd make this a lot easier."

"Absolutely not!" Rachel said, "We're here to protect people, not hurt them."

"That's a shame," replied a voice from the door, "Because I'd sure love to hurt someone right now."

They snapped their heads up at the same time, only to be greeted by someone in a ski mask pointing a gun at them. When he took a step forward, their hands shot up in the air immediately. The robber laughed moving in close enough that Rachel could hear the rabbit quick beat of his pulse.

"I never thought I'd see a super hero in real life," he said, studying them carefully, "What's your power, buddy? Summon the forces of Hogwarts?"

Kurt ground his teeth patiently and Rachel didn't need to be telekinetic to know that, for the millionth time, he was cursing Mr. Shuester's insistence of not only designing all their costumes, but the fact that his was all sleek black fabric and a cloak. The robber turned his attention and the gun towards Rachel, smiling.

"What about you, sweetheart? I bet you're real pretty under that mask."

"If you want pretty, you should hear her sing," Kurt piped up, "She's a real songbird."

The robber had whipped around, presumably to tell Kurt to shut up, giving Rachel the perfect opportunity. Taking a deep breath beforehand, she focused all her power into one, long note. She was able to watch the sound waves travel as they sent the robber flying into the wall. Kurt wasted no time in snatching up the gun and muttering a spell that left the creep in chains. They didn't have time to celebrate, because police sirens were close by, with her voice temporarily gone, Rachel singled that they had to split.

"Have fun in Azkaban," he said, kicking the robber in the ribs before grabbing hold of Rachel.

One stomach churning ride later, they were back on the roof. Checking the time, Rachel saw that there was still a few minutes left until the shift change, so she settled back into her perch. Once he had obliterated the gun, Kurt was back to his magazine, pausing only to ask, "Will you be okay for _Regionals_ tomorrow?"

Screwing her face up in concentration, Rachel was able to let out a scratchy sounding high F. He swatted her on the shoulder, but was smiling when he started to ring again. And, even though she'd have to guzzle a gallon of lemon juice and hot tea in order to have her voice back to a winning condition, being a hero felt pretty good.


	3. something is not the same

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N**: Title stolen from _For Good _from _Wicked. _Belated fills for Hummelberry Week on tumblr. Today's theme: firsts, where we have the aftermath of Kurt and Rachel's respective 'first times'. This one gets a little agnsty, at the end, because halfway through writing, I remembered they were fighting at the time.

* * *

Dawn is barely cracking it's way across the sky when Kurt Hummel gets home.

He's wearing his clothes from last night and his hair feels greasy, but as he carefully unlocks his front door, he couldn't be happier. The performance of _West Side Story_ was flawless last night. He and Blaine had made up from their first major fight, then went back to Blaine's house to do more than make up. As he slips off his shoes in the doorway, the thought of _I'm not a virgin anymore_ strikes him suddenly. It makes him flush, then grin as heat curls like a fist in the pit of his stomach.

_I'm not a virgin anymore_, he thinks again. If Kurt was a less reserved person, he'd shout it from the rooftops until the whole world knew that he had lost his virginity last night, to the most perfect person in the world. Rolling his eyes at the sight of Finn passed out on the living room sofa, he pulls out his phone and, instinctively, texts Rachel, _You'll never believe what happened_.

Then, a series of things seemed to happen at once.

Kurt went into the kitchen for a drink, only to be greeted by the sight of Rachel Berry cooking pancakes in her underwear. They both screamed. Finn, half-asleep and completely naked, ran into the room shouting about how he was here to protect Rachel. When he spotted his step-brother, Finn yelped and tried to cover himself with a dish towel before running back out of the room. Kurt and Rachel stared at each other, horrified, until her phone went off, alerting her of a new text message. At that point, they both slid down onto the linoleum floor, laughing so hard that tears streaked their faces.

By the time Finn came back (dressed and offering Rachel one of his tee shirts to wear), the pancakes had been declared a lost cause and Rachel and Kurt had decided to go out for breakfast. They invited Finn, who just turned red and said he wanted to sleep in before they all had to be at the Saturday morning rehearsal for the musical. Kurt intended to change before they went out, but Rachel argued that it wasn't fair for him to dress up when she'd be stuck in her rumpled outfit from the previous night.

They drove to town in relative silence, exchanging only the occasional sly glance or fit of giggles when they caught sight of each other. When they were settled into a table and coffee had been ordered, Kurt leaned across the table and took Rachel's hands. "You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady. You can skip any descriptions of his, y'know, but I want to know exactly how you came to be naked in my kitchen."

"I wasn't naked!" Rachel flushed when a few heads swiveled their way. Lowering her voice, she said, "And, besides, you have some explaining to do yourself. Don't try and tell me you weren't at Blaine's last night."

Kurt didn't think it was fair that Rachel was able to make him flush. He wasn't embarrassed by the fact that he and Blaine had sex last night. Instead, it was the tone of Rachel's voice, low and accusing, like it was some kind of crime to love someone so completely. Taking a deep breath to make sure his voice would stay even, Kurt made an offer. "I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

"Why do I have to go first?" Rachel complained, picking through the bowl of creamers until she found a soy one.

Kurt took a careful sip of his coffee, patting her hand consolingly. "Because you made me look at my naked brother. This is payback."

Rachel huffed, but still launched into her story as they waited for their food. She and Finn had gone back to the Hummel-Hudson house after the musical, talked it out, and decided they were ready to take the next step in their relationship. Then, according to Rachel, they had shared a "romantic evening" together in the firelight before talking some more and falling asleep.

"I was trying to be romantic and make us breakfast," Rachel explained, "But you walked in and ruined it."

Kurt would have felt a little bad about that, but he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that Finn and Rachel had sex in the living room. As in, where his family spent long periods of time together. He was about to start a lecture on how unhygienic that was, but their food arrived. They ate quickly and quietly, knowing they only had an hour left before they were expected at the rehearsal.

As Kurt picked up the tab and started to drive Rachel home, she said, "You never told me what happened between you and Blaine."

Kurt shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't sure what the protocol was with this or how much was too much to share. Pulling into Rachel's driveway, Kurt chose his next words carefully. "I spent the night at Blaine's after we made up."

"I didn't know you guys were fighting," Rachel said, voice small and betrayed.

Any lingering traces of Kurt's good mood disappeared suddenly as he remembered that, among the insanity of the play and Sebastian and losing his virginity, he was mad at Rachel. This morning, he'd been so happy that it had slipped his mind completely. Now, as they sat in her driveway and Rachel flashed him sad puppy dog eyes, the hurt pushed it's way back into Kurt's chest, making his heart ache and throat feel thick.

"Yeah, well, we're fine now," Kurt replied, feeling irritated with himself.

"Kurt," Rachel said, voice quiet and sad, "Are _we _fine now?"

It hurt to look at the girl he called his best friend. The excitement and laughter from earlier seemed far away as Rachel sniffled loudly and kept a death grip on the arm rest. Kurt knows that it's not fair to get her upset right before they have rehearsal and he feels genuinely sorry that when he unlocks the car door, Rachel recoiled like she was hit.

Even though rage was building inside him, Kurt tried to be gentle when he told her, "No, we're not fine. Not yet."

As Rachel fled the car, covering her mouth with one hand as ran off, not even a text from Blaine (_miss you, can't wait for rehearsal. xoxo_) could make Kurt feel like smiling again.


	4. let me say before we part

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N**: Title stolen from _For Good _from _Wicked. _Belated fills for Hummelberry Week on tumblr. Today's theme: weddings.

* * *

They were still in the hotel room, getting ready to leave for the church. Rachel thought she should be panicking or something, but it's hard to do when Kurt so clearly has everything under control. He sent the wedding party on their way, made sure that Finn was up and dressed, and had a bag filled with what he called 'emergency supplies'. (The emergency bag was a small backpack. Rachel didn't want to know what was inside.)

Her dads had already come and gave their best wishes, crying like they wouldn't be seeing her in twenty minutes at the church itself. If they had stayed any longer, Rachel knew she would have been crying, but Kurt seemed to sense this and sent both them away with promises that he would take care of their little girl.

Hiram had pressed a kiss to his forehead, sighing wistfully. "Baby girl, you know we love Finn, but his brother is _such_ a catch."

"He's also taken," Rachel had complained, waving Kurt's left hand in around, "Now go before someone accuses you of being a cradle snatcher."

"Wouldn't want that," Leroy agreed pleasantly.

Her dads hugged her one last time and then hurried out the door. It was only her and Kurt in the room then, the most alone that Rachel had been in days. She sat down in front of the vanity, studying herself in the mirror. Her hair was in a loose bun, a veil pinned to the very top with a pretty shell comb. The dress she wore was one she picked out with her closest friends and family, crying a little when she first tried it on in a tiny New York boutique. Rachel didn't even notice her make up, because she was focused on the smile that she couldn't have stopped even if she tried.

"I'm getting married," Rachel said, awestruck.

Kurt smiled, slipping into his tuxedo jacket. "That you are, Miss Berry."

"You're going to be my _brother_. Not that I didn't think of you that way before or that my wedding will change out relationship, but-"

"Rachel," Kurt interrupted, placing his hands on her shoulders as if to steady her, "You need to breathe or else you'll pass out."

She nodded, taking a deep breath in before looking at their image in the mirror. There was no denying that this was her day to look radiant, but with tuxedo on and his hands pulling his tie snug against his throat, Kurt looked undeniably handsome. _God_, Rachel thought, _We've made it so far since high school._

"I'm ready to go," Rachel said, even though she still had ten scheduled minutes left for prep.

Kurt nodded and began to gather up everything they'd need at the church. Rachel tried to help, but he declared that she couldn't lift a thing on her wedding day except the bouquet. That made her laugh, quick and soft, as love for the man made her feel warm. He was her best friend and, by the end of the day, she'd have him as a brother in addition to Finn as her husband. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Alright," Kurt said, surveying the room, "I think that's everything, but I want to run over a quick checklist with you."

Rachel had no clue what he was talking about, but nodded anyway. Kurt smiled, pulling a small piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. Clearing his throat, he gave her his most serious look and said, "Do you have something old?"

She would have laughed, but it caught in her throat and turned into a little sob. Kurt dutifully passed her a tissue to dab at the corners of her eyes, waiting for the answer. "The veil is from senior year."

Ever since Finn had proposed again, everyone seemed to have suddenly forgotten that they had tried to get married five years before. It drove Rachel insane, until one day Kurt had produced her old wedding veil out of thin air and declared that it would be the good luck charm for this wedding. Rachel would have bet money that was what Kurt was thinking about as he crossed the first thing off the list with a dramatic swipe.

"You have something new, right?"

The whole room was filled with new things she had gotten for the wedding. From the dress to her underwear, almost everything about this day had been purchased in the past twelve months to prepare. Still, Rachel raises her right hand to show off the gold bracelet there. Finn had given her last night, apologizing because it wasn't particularly expensive, because they'd already spent so much on their wedding bands. Rachel loved it anyway.

Even if Kurt didn't know the story behind the bracelet, he nodded officially and, with even more dramatic flair, crossed another thing off his list. "Do you have the mandatory borrowed item?"

"I love you, Kurt," she told him softly, pulling her best friend into a hug.

It had been a random day that they both had off, months ago. They had gone to the little cafe they both liked to pour over Rachel's wedding book and plan any upcoming shopping trips they'd need to make. Kurt drank his coffee as Rachel rambled on about something or another. When she stopped and looked to him for a response, Kurt just tilted his head and said, "I have a pearl hair comb that belonged to my mother. If you want, it could be a stunning addition to your wedding ensemble."

When the hug was over, Kurt smoothed his jacket back down before adjusting the comb in Rachel's hair, which carefully held her veil in place. He didn't bother to cross that one off the list, because he was too busy beaming at Rachel.

"Finally, do you have something blue?"

This time, Rachel let out another quick laugh. The color scheme for the wedding had been shades of blue and silver. His vest was baby blue and her nails had been painted periwinkle. At the church, there was blue chiffon draped elegantly along the pews and forget-me-nots were a main feature in her bouquet. She didn't have to answer and Kurt didn't cross it off, just pulled her in close and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Giving her a gentle squeeze, Kurt said, "Rachel Berry, let's get you married."


	5. a girl you once knew

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N**: Title stolen from _For Good _from _Wicked. _Belated fills for Hummelberry Week on tumblr. Today's theme: Kurt and Rachel as kids.

* * *

For it's size, Lima has a disproportionally high number of parks. At age six, Kurt Hummel doesn't know what the word disproportionally means, but even if he did, he wouldn't be complaining about the park situation. He loves going on bike rides with Mommy now that it's summer and neither one of them have school. It's nice lead the way on his big boy bike (Kurt stopped using his training wheels in the spring) and let her tell him where to turn and stop until they were at one of Lima's many parks. Then, Mommy would take his safety pads off and let him loose, occasionally abandoning her book to chase Kurt around the jungle gym or push him on the swings.

They've just gotten to the park and Kurt runs as fast as he can towards the slide. This park is more crowded than most, so there's a line to go down. It doesn't seem fair, but Kurt still waits his turn in line behind a girl with dark hair. She doesn't look very happy to be waiting and keeps tapping her foot against the jungle gym and tossing her hair, like movie people do.

"When I'm famous, I'll never wait in lines," she says, turning on Kurt suddenly, "Famous people never have to wait for anything."

Mommy and Daddy always said _everyone _had to wait for their turn, but Kurt never asked if that rule applied to famous people, so he just nods. He's never met a famous person in his life, so knowing someone who is going to be famous is exciting. Sticking out his hand like Daddy taught him, he says, "I'm Kurt."

"I'm Rachel Barbra Berry and I'm going to hug you, okay?"

She waits for Kurt to give a little nod, then complete ignores his outstretched hand in order to wrap her arms around him in a bear hug. Kurt, whose experience with hugging people is limited to his family, kinda flails for a minute before wrapping his arms around the girl. The line for the slide shifts a little bit and Rachel lets go of him.

"My daddies told me you have to ask before you hug someone," she tells them.

Kurt thinks that's good advice, but he's more caught up on the first part of her sentence. "Don't you mean your daddy?"

"Nope," Rachel says, flipping her hair again, "I have two. They're over there!"

She's pointing towards two grown ups near the bottom of the slide. One of them takes a picture before blowing her a kiss and the other one just waves excitedly towards her. Rachel waves back and Kurt considers this. Both of the grown ups are boys and they're doing things that his daddy does for him when they go some place together. Nodding to himself, Kurt turns to Rachel and tells her, "You have two daddies."

"I know. They're the best!"

The conversation lulls until it's Rachel's turn on the slide. She turns to Kurt and asks if he wants to go down with her. Kurt almost says no at first, because it seems dangerous, but she's already holding his hand and pulling him behind her. It's a little weird to go down the slide with someone that isn't Mommy or Daddy, but he's still laughing when they reach the bottom. Rachel's daddies come up to them then, smiling big and wide as they both hug her.

The daddy in glasses asks, "Who's your friend, baby girl?"

Rachel grabs at his hand again, pulling Kurt close. "This is Kurt and he's my new best friend and when I'm famous, he's gonna be famous with me."

She'd never shared this bit of information with Kurt (who planned on being a mechanic like his daddy), but once she says it, the idea has an undeniable appeal. If he was famous, he could probably meet Patti LuPone, who was Mommy's favorite actress, or Belle from _Beauty in the Beast_. Plus the whole waiting in line thing seemed appealing. Before he can even give his opinion on his new future, Rachel starts to pull him towards the sandbox.

Once they're there, they sit on the wooden frame and hold hands in quiet for a little while. Vaguely, Kurt thinks that it's nice to have a friend to hold hands with and be quiet, but then Rachel opens her mouth to say, "Thank you for being my best friend. I was scared that no one would be when me and my dads moved here."

Kurt has never moved in his whole life, but it seems like a scary idea. This doesn't seem like the right thing to tell Rachel though, so he just squeezes her hand before saying, "We're gonna be best friends forever. Even when we're famous and are in a lot of movies."

"I'm going to be on Broadway," Rachel corrects, but then adds, "But we'll still be best friends. Do you want to go on the swings now?"

Kurt nods immediately and they race over there. When Kurt wins, Rachel starts to complain, but he offers to push her first on the swings and she settles back down. Their first crisis as best friends is taken care of quickly. They take turns on the swings until Kurt's mommy comes over and tells him that it's time to go home. He hugs Rachel goodbye before pulling on his elbow and knee pads, pinkie promising at the last minute about staying best friends and becoming famous together.


	6. i have been changed

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N**: Title stolen from _For Good _from _Wicked. _Belated fills for Hummelberry Week on tumblr. Today's theme: cisgirl!Kurt and cisboy!Rachel.

* * *

"I want to be Maria," Claire said quietly.

Ray's head snapped up, abandoning their pre-audition screening of _West Side Story_. They'd both been estatic when the musical choice had been announced, but other than Ray declaring that he was going to be the best Tony to grace the stage since Larry Kert, they hadn't discussed casting. Pausing the movie and turning to face his best friend, Ray looked Claire over.

"I thought you wanted to be Anybodys," he said cautiously.

Once, towards the tail end of sophomore year, they'd discussed their dream roles. Ray, always confident in his own ability, picked the male leads every time. For the most part, Claire liked characters that were interesting, even if they were second string. That's why Ray didn't understand why she picked Anybodys when they got down to _West Side Story_. Now, Claire was curled into herself on the bed, staring at her own knees.

"It will look good on my NYADA application," Claire said slowly, "And it would show everyone our stupid school that I'm not just some weirdo with short hair."

"I like your short hair," Ray supplied automatically, then added, "And you'll make a wonderful opposite to my Tony."

Claire smiled and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Raymond Berry."

"Love you, too," he replied. They cuddled for the rest of the movie.

* * *

He was flipping through a wedding magazine, trying to pick out tuxedo for the upcoming wedding. Just as he started to debate the merits of bow ties versus neck ties, someone slammed their hands down on the table. Looking up, Ray found himself nose to nose with an enraged looking Claire.

"Are you insane?" she snarled, voice so high it made the hairs on Ray's arms stand up.

Taking a deep breath, he slid the magazine under his English textbook and smiled. "How are you today, Claire?"

"I'm terrific despite the fact you're getting ready to elope with my sister!"

Well. Clearly, Fiona didn't understand that the main point of eloping meant avoiding the confrontations with their respective families. They would have to have a talk about it, Ray decided. The few stragglers in the library we're staring at them, so he started to pack up his bag and head for the door. Claire was hot on his heels, demanding to know where he was going.

"I think this is a conversation best saved for the choir room," Ray said diplomatically, only to have his arm nearly pulled out of its socket. Claire had stopped them in the middle of the hallway and her voice was dangerously quiet.

"I know you love Fiona, but you can't just marry her like it doesn't mean anything!"

Ray recoiled, because between the look in Claire's eyes and the tone of her voice, the accusation hurt. How could she think that getting married didn't mean anything to him? He'd loved Fiona for years and marrying her only made sense now that it was time for them to think about their future. Even when he told Claire this, her expression didn't soften.

"It's a bad idea, Ray. You know it is and you've probably known since you asked her."

"Fiona asked me."

That didn't make Claire apologize, but it did seem to stun her long enough that Ray could escape to his next class.

* * *

Principal Figgins was opening the envelope for prom king and calling his name. Ray felt his stomach twist into a painful knot, because it was obvious that history was repeating itself. This was another awful prank by the kids at school and he was going to go up there and get laughed at. Figgins called his name again and Fiona gave him an encouraging little push.

"You can do this," she told him, beaming.

The room was silent as Ray made his way across the gym, up to the stage where Claire was waiting for him. She looked so pretty in her prom dress, hair framing her face in soft curls. Her chin had a determined tilt and there was a look of defiance in her eyes as she took the plastic crown from Figgins and placed it one Ray's head.

"Just smile and breathe," she told him, a careful whisper as Figgins announced that Fiona would be prom queen.

He loved his fiancee and the way she kissed him once before they began the obligatory king and queen dance. Out of the corner of his eye, Ray could see his friends dancing and smiling. This was the type of prom that people dreamed about: getting crowned and sharing the spotlight with the girl he loved. Except, every now and then, Ray caught sight of someone snickering behind their hands and the magic of the evening was lost.

* * *

They were packing up Ray's room, carefully sorting his things into piles of 'Bring to New York', 'Leave at Home', and 'Donate'. Neither one of them talked much beyond the occasional requests to pass the tape or comment about some of the more _unique_ pieces of Ray's wardrobe. Finally, when his childhood room had been reduced to a mountain of cardboard boxes, Ray turned to Claire and said, "I'm sorry."

She had been picking through his donation pile, looking for clothes that she could salvage for projects. When he spoke, Claire dropped the sweater vest she had been holding and pursed her lips. Every since he had come back from New York, they had danced around the subject of NYADA. Both of them were painfully aware of the fact that Claire had thrown out all her other college applications after her audition. Now, she'd spent the week while Ray was in the city scrambling to find an internship or job or _anything _that would take her to New York for the fall.

"It's not like you getting accepted meant that they cut me," Claire finally said.

After she got the rejection letter, she had turned that into her mantra. It wasn't Ray's fault that she didn't get it. She had to remind herself of that fact constantly or else she knew she'd hate him, which wasn't fair. Ray crossed the room, wrapping her in his arms and holding her tight. "I'm still sorry that you didn't get it. You deserved it so much."

There was a quip on the tip of her tongue: she may have deserved it, but NYADA didn't deserve her. But between the smell of Ray's terrible cologne engulfing her and the visible proof that her best friend was leaving, all the snark melted away. When she started to cry instead, Ray kept holding onto her.


	7. for good

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N**: Title stolen from _For Good _from _Wicked. _Belated fills for Hummelberry Week on tumblr. Today's theme: angst.

* * *

It's the end of July and Ohio is hot.

Kurt picks Rachel up early in the morning, his SUV loaded up with towels and a cooler. When she stumbles out into the sunrise, he offers up a thermos of coffee. Despite drinking half of it, Rachel falls asleep against the window twenty minutes into the drive. That doesn't seem to bother Kurt, who just turns down the radio and keeps his eyes on the road in front of them. The nearest beach is almost an hour away and, by the time they get there, sweat is pooling at the small of his back despite the air conditioner. Pulling into the nearest parking space, he shakes Rachel awake.

"You still want to do this?" he asks, trying to keep his voice neutral and falling. Somewhere towards the end of the question, Kurt's voice breaks and he has to look away for a minute. Rachel rubs his back, saying as many soothing things as she can think of right now. When Kurt turns back to her, they exchange a little look and nod, then they're climbing out of the car.

The nice thing about this beach is that they allow people to bring in small grills. It's barely seven in the morning and they're both sweating miserably as they poke at the charcoals inside in the grill they borrowed from Kurt's family. Smoke keeps blowing into Kurt's eyes and there's a lingering smell of cooked meat that makes Rachel feel queasy, but neither one of them complain. Even without the smothering humidity, today seems too important to waste whining.

Tomorrow, Rachel will be leaving for New York for the third time this summer. She will register for her classes at NYADA and spend the week with her dads in some hotel until it's time to start moving furniture into her dorm room. Kurt is staying in Ohio with plans to spend the year working at his dad's garage before he reapplies to NYADA. This time, he's also sending an application to NYU and Julliard, even though he isn't thrilled at the idea of going there.

When they manage to get a small inferno going, Rachel squeezes Kurt's hand briefly. The sun begins to settle into a high place in the sky and her friend's cheeks are pink from the heat. She inhales deeply, despite the smoke and smell, then says, "I'll go first."

Systematically, Rachel begins to toss things into the fire. There are pictures and playbills, ticket stubs and hand written notes. All of them hold memories of her friendship in Kurt and, maybe she's being over-dramatic, but Rachel likes to think that when they burn, it smells like his cologne. Everything seems to curl at the edges for a moment, then blacken and crumble.

[There's a metaphor in this], Rachel thinks vaguely as she watches the fire.

To see her friendship with Kurt literally go up in smoke is strange. A part of Rachel wants to dig through the fire and rescue it all, because surely burns on her hands wouldn't hurt as much as the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach right now. Except, as Kurt starts to toss in his own contributions, a strange sense of relief washes over her as she remembers why they're doing this.

After what seemed like a thousand talks, Kurt said he didn't want to hold Rachel back. Even if they were given in ways that seemed forced and unhappy, it thrills Rachel to have his blessing to go to New York. For so long, it had been [their] dream: a shared, intimate belief that they would take the world together, starting with The Big Apple. Leaving without Kurt feels like unfinished business, which is why Rachel suggested this little bonfire.

"You know, some cultures believe that burning something purifies it and prepares it to be reborn," Rachel says quietly, once Kurt has fed everything to the fire.

He smiles despite the fact his eyes are watering, "My mom was cremated, you know. It was her last wish."

Rachel did not know this, but the knowledge makes her feel guilty. Kurt mentions his mom so rarely, that it's easy to forget that she's dead and not just [absent] like Shelby is to Rachel. Not knowing what to say, she just slips her hand into hers, ignoring the fact that he doesn't give her a reassuring squeeze like usual. They watch the fire burn for a little while longer, until the breeze sends the smoke into their faces and they both turn away to cough.

After a little while more, there's nothing but smoldering ashes. Kurt doses it with water, then dumps the ashes into a designated area by the beach entrance as Rachel packs up the rest of their stuff. Neither one of them is particularly fond of beaches and they didn't plan on staying. Besides, the noontime crowds were starting to stream in and they both had to get ready for Rachel's going away party.

As they drive back to Lima, the car is silent except for the radio. Neither Kurt nor Rachel want to acknowledge that, for all intents and purposes, they just went to the funeral of their friendship. (For the time being, at least.)


End file.
